Addictive Personality! What is it?
Addiction is a compulsion and is all about extremes, we know no limits or boundaries. we always want one more of anything. I was reading a post on a great blog, http://www.thesecretslayer.com/?p=560 "Love. Don't Judge. Addiction isn’t a moral deficit"
She spoke of her past struggles with food addiction, love and sex addiction. And it made me think of people I have known, including stixx and myself, that just naturally have an addictive personality. Sure we are in recovery for drug addiction, but the amount of sweets we eat, the amount of items we buy, movies we collect, and the list goes on and on. It seems that people with addictive personality just replace one addiction with yet another.
You feel compelled to use, eat, buy, etc. Extreme moods, extreme everything!
According to wikipedia an "addictive personality refers to a particular set of personality traits that make an individual predisposed to addictions. Addictive behaviors are defined by the excessive, repetitive use of pleasurable activities to cope with unmanageable internal conflict, pressure, and stress."
People with addictive personality have addictions that just aren't limited to drugs, no way, an addiction can be anything, be it food, love, alcohol,exercise and heck even the computer.
There are many people that have addictions but do not view what it is that they are doing as such, they are not any different than someone addicted to drugs and they will have similair behavioural traits.
"Any behavior that's carried out in a compulsive manner can over time become a type of addiction. A behavior becomes an addiction when other areas of a person's life suffer as a result" source
Addiction can have adverse effects on peoples lives in many ways, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and can affect the lives of those around you as well.
People who have addictive personality are usually in denial and always seem to have an answer as to why they do what they do. As Pearl pointed out in her post, people stay in denial because there is such a stigma attached to addiction.This keeps many people from speaking up and seeking help .
The world needs to understand that addiction is considered a disease, as a physiological dependence occurs within the brain.
In our brains there are reward centers which secrete certain "feel awesome" chemicals that contribute to how a person experiences a behavior which makes us return to that same thing over and over to experience those "feel awesome" chemicals again and again. Whether you do drugs, watch TV or eat cake, the process is the same my friend.
So, Why is it that some people are more prone to having addictive personality?
- low self esteem and low self confidence, emotional avoidance, the need for love and approval, all play a role.
- If you had an unstable childhood or experienced trauma and abuse you are more likely to have an addictive personality. if you were surrounded by substance abuse, you also have a greater chance!
- Inability to cope with stress. (Parents didn't teach you resilience strategies).
- Endorphin deficiency (I will speak of this in a future post)
- Anxieties and fears
- Highly sensitive and unable to deal with difficult emotions
- Neglect, abandonment, no social support as a child.
Internal conflict- Mental Illness, and much more...
What you are surrounded by in childhood impacts your brain, if you were denied love as a child you will be searching for things to fill the void.
We use our addictions as a coping tool to deal with stress or conflict. The emotional relief felt when engaging in the drug or activity is enough to keep a person using over and over again and not want to give that feeling up. How else are you going to cope with life without the very thing that has brought you such comfort, even when it has caused you lots of heartache, the feeling that is felt cannot be beat.
To help you figure out what causes you to run to your "Drug" whether it's heroin, oxy's, alcohol, sex, food, etc.? Try jotting down what you are feeling at the time you experience an urge or craving. This will help you to work out the reasons why you do what you do. It is tough to pull apart your life, but to fully heal you must find the cause!
*To overcome your addictions you must learn to overcome your addictive personality, otherwise you will continue replacing one thing for another*
Are you a person of extremes? We'd love for you to share, so please tell us your story below!
Oh God am I a person of extremes! When I was abusing sugar I did it in a BIG way. When I was abusing myself with sex and love addiction I did it in a big way. I have trouble with finances too- which I am working on now. I have been to a few 12-step meetings for debt issues. I am forever trying to fill a void which I have been told is spiritual. Connecting with other people is the most helpful treatment for me.
ReplyDeleteThe stigma surrounding addiction is so pervasive that the only time I feel safe to share is when in the company of other addicts.
Thank you for being here for me<3
Can't wait to read more.
Love, Pearl<3
This is so insightful, I did a whole research paper for school on the chemicals in the brain that play a part in addiction. I learned so much from doing that paper but it dealt with a lot of the physical reasons and not so much the emotional ones which I find are just as important. I think addictive personalities run in my family, its hard quitting one addiction and not replacing it with another. I know I did that for some time. Love your blog, simply amazing. :)
ReplyDelete